Farmer comes to rescue of lorry jammed on Badenoch’s Speyside Way
If you’re moving house the Speyside Way is not the way to do it - that was the clear message on Tuesday, after the latest traffic jam.
Local cyclist Jim Budd, of Newtonmore, told the Strathy: “It was unbelievable.
“Around midday, cycling between Drumguish and Insh, I came across a lorry with a large trailer being towed slowly and with considerable difficulty backwards by a large tractor towards Drumguish.
“A white van was following the lorry. Once the driver of the trailer had been enticed a short way along The Speyside Way they were completely stuck – impossible to turn round and equally impossible to continue.
“Fortunately a local farmer came to the rescue…”
It transpired that newcomers to Drumguish were having their furniture delivered and the van leading the lorry to the house got their directions wrong.
One local resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Strathy: “We put an appeal out to the Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Group to help, and they contacted Duncan Grant, who was working on a contract at Killiehuntly.
“Within 15 minutes Duncan had sent his son Angus, and daughter Millie, to the rescue.”
It’s a situation which has arisen before and will, locals say, happen again until proper gate and official signage goes up at the Inveruglas end of Drumguish.
“We need something to deter vehicular traffic driving along the Speyside Way.
“We have had a convoy of huge military style campers try to head that way a few weeks ago, and in the past oil tankers, Tesco vans and the others.”
The point is also being made that a gate would also hopefully slow down “cyclists who come flying down the hill from the Inveruglas direction past the houses in Drumguish where children are playing.
“It’s the same from the Glen Feshie side too - the cyclists come whizzing along the road with no thought for kids who might be playing.”
Regarding the request for a sign and gate at the Inveruglas end of Drumguish, a spokesperson for Forestry and Land Scotland said: “We were not aware that this was an issue but we would certainly be happy to discuss it further and look at potential solutions.”